Not perfect, but Aggies beat ranked opponent in season opener
Yes, there are some things to clean up. Yes, they blew a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter. But Texas A&M prevailed in overtime on Saturday in its 2016 season opener, defeating No. 16 UCLA on Saturday afternoon at Kyle Field.
Here is an analysis of Texas A&M’s 31-24 overtime victory:
5 TAKEAWAYS
- Noel Mazzone’s balanced offense: The up-tempo style offense brought in by Texas A&M’s new offensive coordinator didn’t produce huge numbers, but it was an effective and balanced offense that produced 442 total yards. The Aggies averaged 424.7 yards per game a year ago. On Saturday, Texas A&M displayed a fairly balanced offense. Trevor Knight threw for 239 yards in his Aggies debut while true freshman Trayveon Williams and Oklahoma transfer Keith Ford combined for 159 of the 203 rushing yards. The Aggies ran the ball 41 times and threw it 42 times.
- Knight in shining armor: Knight has all the makings of the mature signal-caller AggieNation has been waiting for. Though struggling at times, Knight played with the confidence needed to run Mazzone’s offense. He completed 22-of-42 passes for 239 yards and 1 touchdown. He did throw an interception but for the most part looked to be in charge.
- Running back tandem: Tra Carson rushed for more than 1,000 yards in his final year, and though the Aggies may not have another to reach that mark this season, they have two very good ones. Williams rushed for 94 yards on 15 carries, and Ford added another 65 yards and one touchdown on 14 tries.
- Big play defense: In his second year as defensive coordinator, John Chavis continues to make improvements. On Saturday, the Aggies’ defense recorded five sacks from five different players on UCLA QB Josh Rosen. Myles Garrett picked up his first of the season. In addition, the Aggies picked off Rosen three times, twice by Justin Evans, while Nick Harvey led the team with 11 total tackles.
- Aggies find a punter: Replacing an NFL-caliber punter is never easy. Two-time All-American Drew Kaser was drafted by the San Diego Chargers, and the Aggies were left wondering where to go from there. But Shane Tripucka answered that question, at least on Saturday. The junior averaged 47.3 yards per punt on seven boots. He boomed two punts of 50-plus yards.
REPORT CARD
Offense: B – The Aggies moved the ball well, totaling 23 first downs and 442 yards of offense, but were just 4-of-15 on third downs and turned it over twice.
Defense: B – Texas A&M’s much-maligned run defense yielded only 125 rushing yards on Saturday. Five sacks and three interceptions helped negate the 343 passing yards given up to Rosen.
Special teams: A – In addition to Tripucka averaging 47.3 yards per punt, the Aggies held UCLA to just a 6.4-yard punt return average and only 16.5 yards per kick return. Conversly, three different kick returners combined to average 22.7 yards for the Aggies, who also got a 17-yard punt return from Christian Kirk. A missed field goal attempt by Daniel LaCamera, who also connected on a 23-yard try, was the only drawback to an otherwise sparkling performance.
Coaching: A – Mazzone was aggressive almost to a fault on offense while Chavis’ defense kept Rosen under pressure throughout.
Overall: A- – Aside from allowing a big lead slip away in the fourth quarter, the Aggies were the aggressor on Saturday, executing on both sides of the football.
GAME PLAN
The Aggies softened up the UCLA defense with a balanced attack, opening up the passing game with a strong ground game. They took advantage of an inexperienced offensive line with corner blitzes and other packages that confused the Bruins.
GAME BALLS
- DB Justin Evans: In addition to a pair of interceptions and eight total tackles, Evans also returned three kickoffs for an average of 21 yards.
- WR Christian Kirk: The do-it-all sophomore hauled in a game-high eight passes for 58 yards. He rushed 1 time for 11 yards, returned a punt for 17 yards and brought back a kickoff for 21 yards.
- QB Trevor Knight: In his first game at College Station, Knight threw for 239 yards. The graduate transfer completed passes to eight different receivers. He punctuated the winning effort with two touchdown runs.